Orchids and Onions

ORCHIDS to Jason Prigge for his painting of Manitowoc's one and only, Tom Drill. The painting depicts Drill in his Salvation Army hut, cheerfully ringing his bell in the spirit of Christmas. An anonymous customer purchased the painting for $1,000, and Prigge donated all of it to the Salvation Army. We couldn't think of a better person to be showcased in a work of art than Drill. His warmth and generosity are an inspiration to all.

ORCHIDS to Manitowoc County agencies and personnel who are expected to respond to any major disaster endangering the health and safety of residents. On Friday, officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency endorsed the actions they took in an exercise simulating the release of radiation into the atmosphere at NextEra Point Beach Nuclear Plant. The federal officials said there never has been a fatality linked to a U.S. nuclear plant incident but preparedness for this low risk with potentially disastrous consequences possibility is mandatory. Lakeshore area residents can have confidence the proper measures would be taken, although we hope they would never be necessary.

ONIONS to our political leaders who continue to overly politicize the integrity of our elections. An independent audit of the Government Accountability Board found issues with the panel made up of nonpartisan former judges. Both Republicans and Democrats have criticized the GAB, but Republicans have taken direct aim at the board recently due to its decision to approve the investigation into allegations of campaign finance violations by the committee that supported Gov. Scott Walker in his efforts to beat back a recall attempt. We can understand in the heated partisan atmosphere why this would upset Republicans. Passions ran high during and after the recall effort, but we believe that both parties dislike the GAB not necessarily for its performance but more for its independence. The audit offered up suggestions to increase the authority of the GAB and improve its operations, moves which we support.

ORCHIDS to the team at Wildlife of Wisconsin in Cato who nursed a starving white pelican back to health. The poor bird was found in October hungry and infested by parasites in a Brillion mobile home park. As the team got the pelican flying fit, they ran into a small problem in that the previously famished bird developed a big appetite and ate Wildlife of Wisconsin out of house, home and fish. The community responded to a plea to keep the bird in fish, and this week, the bird was flown, not under its own wing, but rather on a Delta flight to Florida.